Blueberry Fried Hand Pies

Posted: February 22nd, 2010 | Filed under: Pie | Tags: blueberry hand pies, blueberry pie, fried blueberry hand pies, fried hand pies | 2 Comments »

This weekend was exhausting… and super fun. On Wednesday I got a call from a friend… “Hey… I need help figuring out food for a party…” And let me tell you… for this couple, you just can’t say no. So on went my little food brain… think think, what can I make…. I love the challenge of menu planning - I do. Its fun.

And what was way fun was having said friend join me in making everything. Said friend was Jeremy - husband for soon to be surprised birthday girl Kelley. And man did he get into it in my kitchen. We had a blast! He wanted to learn and participate and help - and every time I just instinctually tossed in a little salt here, water there, Jeremy would catch me off guard by giving me an accusing stare and saying… “So what did you put in there… I want to learn!”

So learn he did. He learned how to make all kinds of things - my favorite being the Blueberry Fried Hand Pies. Yum.  Fresh homemade filling, fresh homemade pie crust, cut and pressed to perfection. And Jeremy slowly but surely took over the hand pies! Before I knew it I wasn’t even allowed to touch them… because he was determined to do it. It was so fun! And I’m not going to lie… they were way delicious. So please enjoy… perfect for you next picnic, party, or Tuesday night.

Jordan was my lovely hand pie model. She is a doll and a half.

Happy Birthday Kelley - You are incredible and deserve every bite of pie you want.

(And stay tuned for more excellent recipes from the party.)

Blueberry Fried Hand Pies

Crust (Pate Brisee)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream until mixture just comes together.Divide dough in half; shape each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (or up to 2 days).

Filling

5 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup cornstarch

Place all ingredients into a large pot over medium heat. Stir until berry mixture thickens - it will suddenly look like jam. This can take between fifteen and twenty minutes. Let it cool to room temperature before using as a filling.

Assembly

Roll out pie crusts until an 1/8 inch thick. Cut out circles with a large biscuit cutter. Dock the pie crusts with a fork. (AKA poke little holes in them.) Fill your circles with a small scoop of blueberries. Fold over and make a half circle, press pie with a fork to seal the edges. Fry over medium high heat in crisco until nice and brown. Drain over paper towels and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Serve with a smile and a wink.

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